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Seoul Brother Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Question about the mood

Below is the sentence written in a subjunctive mood.

If I were a butterfly, I would have wings.

Can I turn it into a indicative mood like the following?

As I am not a butterfly, I don't have wings.
As I am not a butterfyl, I cannot(will not) have wings.

thanks in advance
  

Top answer

As I am not a butterfyl, I cannot(will not) have wings. are not logical. Birds, airplanes, and moths are not butterflies, and yet they all have wings.

  • As I am not a butterfyl, I cannot(will not) have wings.
  • are not logical.
  • Birds, airplanes, and moths are not butterflies, and yet they all have wings.
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6 Answers
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I can't answer the subjective/indicative question, but I feel obliged to point out that these sentences:
Seoul BrotherAs I am not a butterfly, I don't have wings.As I am not a butterfyl, I cannot(will not) have wings.
are not logical. Birds, airplanes, and moths are not butterflies, and yet they all have wings.
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“If I were a butterfly, I would have wings.”
(This establishes that without wings I cannot be a butterfly. If instead I were a wasp, I would still have wings; so if I am not a butterfly (but I am a wasp), I can still have wings.)
“Since I do not have wings, I am not a butterfly.”
The other two suggested sentences are not correct.
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thanks for your advice. The subjective in the sentence is human.
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Understood. Regardless, you wanted to change the mood of the sentence and all you have to work with is “If I were a butterfly, I would have wings.”
So, without wings, I am not a butterfly.
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Thanks for your advice. I have one more question. How about the sentence? If I were a boy even just for day, I would roll out of bed in the morning and throw on what I wanted and go. How can I turn it into the indicative mood? thanks in advance.
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Seoul BrotherBelow is the sentence written in a subjunctive mood.
No, only the if-clause is subjunctive mood.
The main clause is indicative mood.

You cannot change it without changing the meaning.

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